EXT. COVUNAMI'S GRAND ESTATE - NIGHT

A grand hall of vibrant colors is illuminated by spotlights. Hovercars carrying every elected official on the planet drive up to the main entrance after weaving their way through a maze of more than twenty fountains. Each fountain depicts another dramatic event in the planet's history. Most of them are gruesome.

INT. BALLROOM - GRAND ESTATE

The pinnacle of elegance. Elected officials dressed in the most extravagant gowns and tailored tuxedos mingle around banquet tables and an expansive dance floor as an impressive orchestra plays. Soldiers of the royal guard stand at attention at every window, closet door, and exit.

Presiding over the evening's festivities is Prime Minister Covunami, sitting at the center of a long and raised table at the far end of the hall. To his right is his daughter, Arielle, looking regal in a gorgeous red-sequin strapless gown. She hides her bandaged hand under the table and keeps to herself.

COVUNAMI
Darling.

Startled, Arielle looks up.

ARIELLE
Yes, Daddy?

COVUNAMI
I asked you if you had given any consideration to the Admiral's daughter. Have you not heard a word I've said?

ARIELLE
Sorry, Daddy. And yes, sure, I will meet with her.

He leans closer.

COVUNAMI
(quiet)
You don't have to be here. I know this is difficult. I think decorum is satisfied.

ARIELLE
No, I want to be here.

She looks down the long table to two seats at the end. She sees they are empty and her eyes sink.

Elsewhere in the room, in a corner by one of the buffet tables, a cleaned up Rat the Mic scopes the room and nurses an alcoholic beverage.

A few feet away, the Doctor laughs it up with a few members of high society, then sees Rat the Mic. He excuses himself from the conversation and walks over.

DOCTOR
You see all these people? None of them actually want to be here right now. They'd all rather be sitting in front of a television screen in their underwear eating cheese puffs while getting a foot rub from a flirtatious servant who lacks short-term memory. But you know what the difference is between them and you? They've mastered the art of pretending they want to be somewhere.

RAT THE MIC
I don't know any of these people.

DOCTOR
I don't know any of them either. That's the best part. You get to just enjoy them and all of their wild idiosyncrasies, then disappear before you realize how annoying they are.

RAT THE MIC
I'm sorry. I just feel a little weird celebrating when those warheads are still out there. I mean, he didn't even try to recover them.

DOCTOR
Yeah, well, he had his reasons.

Something about the way the Doctor said that draws Rat the Mic's attention.

RAT THE MIC
What did you say?

DOCTOR
I said, I'm sure he had his reasons.

RAT THE MIC
What possible reason could he have for letting a gangster like Greevo Shanbor keep two nuclear warheads?

DOCTOR
Keep your voice down. As far as these people know, we're celebrating the Vanoss Anniversary and lobbying for votes for Covunami's reintegration legislation.

Rat the Mic raises his glass.

RAT THE MIC
Speak for yourself. I'm pretty much just getting drunk.

Rat the Mic downs the rest of his drink, then shakes his head.

RAT THE MIC
Slowly. Cheap bastard waters down his liquor.

A soldier of the royal guard, HANTA, approaches.

HANTA
Gentlemen, the prime minister requests the honor of your presence. This way, please.

The Doctor and Rat the Mic exchange a glance, then follow.

INT. CEREMONIAL KNIGHTING CHAMBER - GRAND ESTATE

The Doctor and Rat the Mic are escorted into a round chamber by Hanta. Portraits of great leaders hang on the walls. At the far end of the chamber, Prime Minister Covunami stands with his Chief of Staff, GRISWOLD, and Admiral VILLUM. A pair of gold medals sits atop a pedestal to Covunami's right.

COVUNAMI
Gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to pry you free of the evening's festivities for a quiet moment. Hanta, you may leave us.

Hanta bows and exits, closing the door behind him. The Doctor and Rat the Mic stand facing Covunami.

DOCTOR
(bows)
Prime Minister.

Rat the Mic sees the Doctor bow, so he bows, too.

RAT THE MIC
Prime Minister.

COVUNAMI
Step forward, please.

They step forward, side by side.

COVUNAMI
So as to shield my daughter from unnecessary scrutiny, and because it would only serve to stir unrest among the populace, I trust you both understand the importance of keeping recent events confidential, but I do not wish for you to confuse that with a lack of appreciation for the part you played in her successful rescue. Please, kneel.

They kneel.

Griswold hands Covunami a ceremonial sword, which he uses to knight the Doctor and Rat the Mic.

COVUNAMI
For acts of bravery and heroism in the service of the office of the Prime Minister and in defiance of evil, for selfless acts of sacrifice and valor, I hereby bestow upon each of you the ceremonial title of knight and award you with our people's highest honor; the fire of Vanoss.

Covunami motions for them to stand. They do. Admiral Villum hands the medals to the Prime Minister one at a time. The Prime Minister appends one metal to the Doctor's jacket, then pins the other to Rat the Mic's jacket.

COVUNAMI
Because of you two men, I have my daughter back, and this administration is no longer at the mercy of a criminal. For that, I shall be forever in your debt. If there is anything I can do for either of you...

DOCTOR
There is one thing.

COVUNAMI
Name it.

DOCTOR
You can tell my friend here why you made no attempt to retrieve the warheads from Greevo's men.

Covunami's expression goes cold, but only for a second. The veteran politician quickly covers it up with a smile. Rat the Mic, however, looks at the Doctor in total shock.

RAT THE MIC
Doctor...

DOCTOR
It's just been really bothering him, and he won't shuuuut uuuup about it. So, if you wouldn't mind.

Covunami smiles and takes a few steps away, deliberately turning his back on the Doctor so as to appraise the notable expressions of concern on the faces of both Villum and Griswold.

COVUNAMI
Of course, you must realize I am not at liberty to discuss matters of national security with non-members of military authority, or outsiders for that matter. Rest assured, a covert operation is well under way to retrieve the warheads. I am quite confident that Admiral Villum's men will see to their safe return in short order.

Villum nods.

RAT THE MIC
So, you are going to retrieve them?

COVUNAMI
As we speak.

RAT THE MIC
You had a tracker on them, or something?

COVUNAMI
Put your mind at ease, my friend. We are in no danger.

DOCTOR
Of course, we aren't. Only the people inside the net are in any danger.

Covunami turns.

COVUNAMI
If they are in any danger at all, it is because of the actions of the sadistic Greevo Shanbor, but I assure you, the Admiral's men are expertly trained commandos. I am confident they will recover the warheads.

VILLUM
We are receiving regular updates on the operation. My men are close.

RAT THE MIC
Thank you for addressing my concerns, Prime Minister. Admiral.

Rat the Mic exhales and laughs at himself.

RAT THE MIC
Man, I was really nervous there for a second. I didn't know what was going on.

DOCTOR
You still don't. They're lying.

Covunami's practiced smile disappears. Villum and Griswold feign outrage.

VILLUM
How dare you accuse me of duplicity, sir!

GRISWOLD
The Prime Minister may have awarded you with high honors, Doctor, but slander and lies will not be tolerated from anyone. You could show a little respect and gratefulness of your own.

The Doctor stares at Covunami. The Prime Minister stares right back.

Even more uncomfortable than before, Rat the Mic leans closer to the Doctor.

RAT THE MIC
Doctor, I'm not drunk enough for this.

DOCTOR
Oh, come on, Rat the Mic. You of all people should be able to recognize a liar when you see one. You're a lawyer! He armed the warheads.

RAT THE MIC
He did what? No... he wouldn't-

Rat the Mic takes one look at Covunami's face and realizes...

RAT THE MIC
Oh my god, you did.

Villum and Griswold look to the Prime Minister, not knowing what to do.

GRISWOLD
Prime Minister, we should-

Covunami holds up his hand to silence the Chief of Staff.

RAT THE MIC
The damn things are nuclear! How could you-

COVUNAMI
They're not nuclear, you idiot. I never would have handed over nuclear warheads to some thug, not even for my daughter's life. There was just enough radioactivity to fool their scans.

DOCTOR
And to leave trace amounts of radiation for your recovery teams to find at the blast sites once they go off.

GRISWOLD
I don't understand. How could this man possibly know all of this?

COVUNAMI
I'm curious as well.

RAT THE MIC
That makes three of us.

The Doctor takes a step back, circles the room a bit.

DOCTOR
It's not that complicated. Prime Minister Covunami has staked his entire administration on the reintegration of his people, on bringing Utuyaya back into the fold. The only problem is, he can't make that decision unilaterally, and he doesn't have the votes. So, the problem; how to get around the fact that he doesn't have the support he needs. A simple, elegant, solution; make the people think Utuyaya has weapons of mass destruction. What better way to do that than to detonate a couple inside their perimeter and chalk it up to some accident, perhaps "at a research facility where Greevo was trying to manufacture them". After the weapons go off, Utuyaya is devastated. There's no way they have enough resources to recover. Covunami offers his "assistance", thereby coming across as the towering hero. And once you're inside, there's no getting rid of you. After all, it would be irresponsible to leave knowing that factions inside were trying to build weapons that could be used against the rest of the planet.

RAT THE MIC
(to Covunami)
Is all that true?

DOCTOR
Stupid question. Sometimes, you ask such stupid questions. Of course, it's true. The real question you should be asking is a little scarier, a little more sinister, believe it or not. The real question you should be asking is whether he handed over the information needed to slip through the net and kidnap his daughter or if he had one of his people do it for him.

Everyone looks to Covunami to see how he'll respond. The Prime Minister lowers his eyes, calculates his next move.

COVUNAMI
I hate these parties. You know how much this party is costing me? Well, the taxpayers? Ten million, just to keep the votes I already have. Do you know what the primary opposition to reintegration is? Cost. How stupid is that?

The Doctor reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a concealed gun. He points it at Covunami's head.

VILLUM
Prime Minister!

Villum lunges for the gun, but the Doctor dodges and smacks the Admiral across the face. He points it at Griswold, who freezes.

DOCTOR
(to Griswold)
No, you, back over there. Bring the Admiral with you. You can hold hands.

Griswold walks over and helps the Admiral up. At gunpoint, they walk over to the corner and keep quiet.

RAT THE MIC
Doctor, I'm really-really not drunk enough for this.

The Doctor again points the gun at Covunami.

DOCTOR
Did you give Greevo what he needed to kidnap Arielle, or did you have one of your people do it... coward?

COVUNAMI
I passed along the information. Greevo didn't know it was coming from me. He also got the impression that I had enough votes to pass my reintegration legislation from me.

GRISWOLD
Prime Minister, you-

COVUNAMI
No. It's all right. The man has a gun to my head. I'll say what he wants to hear. I'll tell him that I had the courage to do it all my own, that what I've done is for the good of my people. She wasn't meant to get hurt, and I've tried to limit the casualties inside the net, but sometimes a few people need to die for everyone else to move forward. It's regrettable, but it's the truth. So, I kill a few gangsters, and maybe a few stray cats inside of the blast radius, it's necessary to unify my-

DOCTOR
Two thousand, seven hundred, sixty-two.

Covunami swallows.

COVUNAMI
What?

DOCTOR
That's how many people die when Greevo brings the warheads to his nuclear testing facility.

COVUNAMI
Greevo doesn't really have...

A realization strikes the Prime Minister. He gasps.

COVUNAMI
No. They don't have access to that kind of-

DOCTOR
Two thousand, seven hundred, sixty-two. It comes out that you are to blame when Griswold over there betrays you to the press. Your daughter never speaks to you again and you go down in your people's history as a monster. You're arrested, and hanged, but I really should kill you for it, right here, right now.

The Doctor aims.

RAT THE MIC
Do it, Doctor. Kill the bastard.

Covunami stands tall and faces the Doctor. He closes his eyes.

The Doctor tightens his grip on the gun and...

...lowers it.

DOCTOR
Admiral Villum, I trust you actually do have teams inside the net?

VILLUM
Yes.

DOCTOR
(to Covunami)
This party was supposed to be your last appeal for votes?

COVUNAMI
How do you know everything? Are you some kind of telepath?

DOCTOR
That gives your teams two hours before those bombs go off, Admiral. I suggest you make some calls.

Admiral Villum looks to the Prime Minister.

COVUNAMI
Hurry, you idiot.

Admiral Villum runs out of the room.

The Doctor puts the gun back in his jacket.

DOCTOR
(to Rat the Mic)
We're leaving.

COVUNAMI
Doctor...

The Doctor turns to Covunami.

COVUNAMI
Thank you for my daughter's life, but we're enemies now.

The Doctor and Rat the Mic leave.

INT. TARDIS

The Doctor works at the main controls. Rat the Mic, seated on some steps, stares at him. He's fuming.

RAT THE MIC
(angry)
You've been to that planet before.

DOCTOR
Never said I hadn't.

RAT THE MIC
You knew everything that was going to happen before it happened.

DOCTOR
That happens.

RAT THE MIC
You told me we were there to see Madam Holu. You lied to me.

DOCTOR
Did I?

RAT THE MIC
Didn't you?!

Rat the Mic paces. The Doctor stops what he's doing to think.

DOCTOR
Many years ago, I went to that planet and talked to Covunami, an older Covunami. I needed someone to talk to and, for reasons I won't go into, there weren't a lot of candidates out there who could help me. Would it help to know that Covunami regretted his actions for the rest of his life?

RAT THE MIC
I'm not talking about Covunami right this second.

DOCTOR
Neither am I.

RAT THE MIC
Were we there to kill Covunami? Was that the whole, real, point of all of this? To assassinate a prime minister?

The Doctor thinks.

DOCTOR
We went for many reasons. One of them was to see if I could kill a man like Covunami. And I couldn't.

RAT THE MIC
You should have.

DOCTOR
(smiles)
You think?

RAT THE MIC
The man sold out his own daughter, and his people.

DOCTOR
He did do that.

RAT THE MIC
Just because we saved everyone, doesn't mean... Damn it. He's still the same man.

The Doctor looks away.

DOCTOR
Maybe.

RAT THE MIC
When I first decided to come with you, all I wanted was to make a name for myself... and maybe brag about it to Trigette after, so she'd fall in love with me and we'd have twenty-five kids. Getting a medal pinned to my chest by that man, it just, it should have been everything I wanted out of this, but it wasn't. It was like at the psych bar, when I was in that trance, and the only thing that could wake me up was the thought of Arielle dead on the ground with her throat slashed open. It's like I finally get what you do... and then I don't.

DOCTOR
You would have killed him?

RAT THE MIC
I suppose we wouldn't have gotten out of there alive if I had. Big picture, right? You got any alcohol?

DOCTOR
Sure.

The Doctor takes a breath. He walks over to a storage compartment and removes a bottle. He hands it to Rat the Mic.

RAT THE MIC
Thanks.

Rat the Mic twists the top open and takes a swig. He swallows and looks at the bottle, impressed.

RAT THE MIC
Now that ain't no weak sauce like they served at the party. What is this stuff?

DOCTOR
Little present from Madam Holu before I dropped her off.

Rat the Mic's eyes glaze over. He sways on his feet.

RAT THE MIC
(dizzy)
Oh. Oh boy, Doc-

Rat the Mic falls over, unconscious.

The Doctor looks down at him.

EXT. ZIRA CLINIC - DAY

A hover-ambulance pulls up out in front of the emergency wing of the Zira Clinic. The Doctor gets out of the front seat and walks around to the back. He looks around to make sure no one is watching, then opens the back. We see the Tardis inside, with Rat the Mic still unconscious on the ground.

The Doctor takes a step inside, leans over, and grabs Rat the Mic's arms. He drags Rat the Mic out and rests him comfortably up against a wall in a seated position.

DOCTOR
Goodbye, Rat the Mic. You were...

The Doctor thinks... shrugs.

Oink. Piggy steps out into view from inside the Tardis. The Doctor looks back.

DOCTOR
Just you and me now, Piggy. Time to go save Rose.

The Doctor climbs back into the Tardis.

Focused on Rat the Mic, who is still unconscious on the ground up against the wall, we hear the ethereal gears turn.

END CREDITS ROLL

-End Episode 11 - Serial, To be Continued...-

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! We're getting close to the end of the serial, now. I want to thank you all again for reading.